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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · degree · chair · object · saw · cabinet · spring · club

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. degree — temperature
  3. spring — of water
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. degree — an amount
  6. club — a group
  7. chair — a leader
  8. object — an aim
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. object — a thing
  12. spring — a coil
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. degree — from a university
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. object — to protest
  18. spring — the season
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. club — for dancing
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. club — for golf
  24. chair — a professorship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com